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Scientists identify factors that predict flu severity in patients

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a signature immune response that might help doctors identify which newly diagnosed influenza patients are most likely to develop severe symptoms and suffer poor outcomes. The findings also help explain why infants and toddlers are at elevated risk for flu complications. The research appears in the upcoming issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

10 Feb 2014

ACE protein overexpression elevates immune responses and prevents Alzheimer's-like cognitive decline

Many people with high blood pressure are familiar with ACE inhibitors, drugs that widen blood vessels by limiting activity of ACE - angiotensin-converting enzyme - a naturally occurring protein found in tissues throughout the body.

4 Feb 2014

Researchers uncover how typhoid pathogen manages to evade host's immune system

The life-threatening disease typhoid fever results from the ongoing battle between the bacterial pathogen Salmonella and the immune cells of the body. Prof. Dirk Bumann's research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has now uncovered how the typhoid pathogen repeatedly manages to evade the host's immune system. Their findings are published in the scientific journal "Cell Host & Microbe".

20 Jan 2014

Biothera enhances innate immune responses to Imprime PGG drug candidate

Biothera has enhanced innate immune responses to its cancer immunotherapy drug candidate Imprime PGG in subjects regardless of biomarker status, demonstrating the opportunity to treat a larger patient population. The in vitro research will be presented today at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Antibody-Drug Conjugates/Engineering Targeted Therapeutics conference in Palm Springs, CA.

16 Jan 2014

Research: SLPI protein produced by body in response to injury plays vital role in patients with ALF

Findings published in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases journal, Hepatology, indicate that infection, the commonest cause of mortality in patients with acute liver failure, may be decreased by inhibiting the activity of a protein found in saliva called SLPI.

10 Jan 2014

Biothera reports positive results from Phase 2 clinical trial of Imprime PGG in NSCLC patients

Biothera today reported positive results from its proof of concept Phase 2 clinical trial in 90 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the American Association for Cancer Research and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer joint conference on the Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer in San Diego.

8 Jan 2014

Possible mechanism behind elevated risk of cardiovascular disease discovered in HIV-infected women

A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has discovered a possible mechanism behind the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in women infected with HIV, a risk even higher than that of HIV-infected men. In the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases the investigators report finding that HIV-infected women had a greater prevalence of the type of coronary artery plaque most vulnerable to rupture than did uninfected women.

14 Dec 2013

Researchers find correlation between biomarker and patient’s ability to respond to Imprime PGG

Biothera researchers have broadened their understanding of a biomarker that may enable doctors to predict which cancer patients will best respond to Imprime PGG®, the company's immunotherapy in Phase 3 drug development for colorectal cancer.

5 Dec 2013

New finding links obesity and high-fat, high-sugar diets with changes in inflammatory status

Scientists have moved a step closer to an "obesity drug" that may block the effects of diets high in sugar and fats. In a new research report published in the December 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists show that there is an abnormal amount of an inflammatory protein called PAR2 in the abdominal fat tissue of overweight and obese humans and rats.

3 Dec 2013

Probe to measure immune function could lead to determine nanoparticle-based drugs for cancer patients

The development of a probe to measure the body's immune function could lead to more accurate, individualized doses for cancer patients prescribed nanoparticle-based drugs, according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina.

21 Nov 2013

Biothera announces top-line results from Phase 2b clinical trial in non-small cell lung cancer

Biothera announced today top-line results from its Phase 2b clinical trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that evaluated its immunotherapeutic drug candidate, Imprime PGG®, with cetuximab (Erbitux®), carboplatin and paclitaxel compared with the monoclonal antibody and chemotherapy combination alone.

5 Nov 2013

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

A new University of Sydney study has found that having Type 1 diabetes alters the normal communication between the human central nervous system and bone marrow, causing inflammatory effects and further disease.

24 Oct 2013

Research shows inhibition of Rcan1 protein may reduce atherosclerosis in mice

Researchers of the Spanish research council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient-ficas, CSIC) and the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) have discovered that inhibiting the protein Rcan1 in mice reduces the burden of atherosclerosis, one of the commonest cardiovascular diseases.

16 Oct 2013

Researchers reveals key role for stem cells that promote inflammation in atherosclerosis

University at Buffalo translational researchers are developing a richer understanding of atherosclerosis in humans, revealing a key role for stem cells that promote inflammation.

24 Sep 2013

Reversing inflammation in fluid near brain's cortex may provide solution to Parkinson's disease

Reversing inflammation in the fluid surrounding the brain's cortex may provide a solution to the complex riddle of Parkinson's, according to researchers who have found a link between pro-inflammatory biomarkers and the severity of symptoms such as fatigue, depression and anxiety in patients with the chronic disease.

29 Aug 2013

HIV-infected people who carry gene face greater risk of contracting cryptococcal disease

HIV-infected people who carry a gene for a specific protein face a 20-fold greater risk of contracting cryptococcal disease, according to a study published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

27 Aug 2013

In dynamic mind-body interaction, brain recruits cells from immune system to promote anxiety

New research shows that in a dynamic mind-body interaction during the interpretation of prolonged stress, cells from the immune system are recruited to the brain and promote symptoms of anxiety.

22 Aug 2013

Study identifies individuals who benefit from vitamin D supplementation

Studying the expression of genes that are dependent on vitamin D makes it possible to identify individuals who will benefit from vitamin D supplementation, shows a University of Eastern Finland study published recently in PLoS One.

13 Aug 2013

Proliferation of immune cells within plaques may be potential treatment target for atherosclerosis

New insights into the development of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques could lead to better treatment or prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

12 Aug 2013

NOXXON completes patient recruitment of NOX-E36 Phase IIa trial for treatment of diabetic nephropathy

NOXXON Pharma today announced the successful completion of patient recruitment of its NOX-E36 Phase IIa clinical trial for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. NOX-E36 is a Spiegelmer® that binds and neutralizes CCL2/MCP-1 (C-C Chemokine Ligand / Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1), a pro-inflammatory chemokine that plays an important role in the progression of diabetic nephropathy, the most common single cause of chronic kidney failure and end-stage renal disease.

25 Jul 2013